Sharif and his daughter left her bedside in July to return to Pakistan to rally their followers ahead of the general election.

Both were arrested on arrival and have been imprisoned since.

"Initially, we released them on parole for 12 hours but the application they have given to the Punjab government is for five days and we are considering it," provincial law minister Muhammad Raja Basharat said.

Soon after the announcement of his wife's death, Pakistani TV showed Sharif's two sons and other relatives receiving condolences outside a London hospital.

Newly-elected prime minister Imran Khan, a former cricket hero and protester against Sharif, sent his condolences on Tuesday saying: "Ms Kulsoom Nawaz was a brave woman."

A statement issued by his office added: "The Pakistan High Commission in the UK has been directed to provide all the possible assistance to facilitate to heirs of Mrs Kulsoom Nawaz."

Sharif served as leader for three terms - 1990-1993, 1997-1999 and 2013-2017. He was removed from office in 2017 following revelations which emerged in the Panama Papers and was disqualified from holding public office for life the following year.

He was jailed alongside his daughter in July over the undeclared income.

Sharif claims it is a part of a plot set up against him by the judiciary and the military.